Presently, there are numerous types of programmable devices, such as, personal computers (PCs), laptop PCs, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wireless telephones to name a few, that provide applications to users and which are configured to communicate with a communications network. These programmable devices may be configured with any of a variety of user applications. For instance, laptops and personal computers are typically configured to provide word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, presentation applications, e-mail client applications, web browser applications, financial applications, enterprise applications, and other desirable applications. PDAs are typically configured with calendar applications, task and contact management applications, financial applications, and others. Some PDAs may also be configured with e-mail applications, web browser applications, and a host of other network-related applications. With technology advances, wireless telephones are now configured with many of the applications previously reserved for PDAs.
Furthermore, technological advances in the areas of networking, microprocessing, and integrated circuits, have also enabled the commercialization of new classes of devices that may be configured to provide less sophisticated applications but are still configured for communication with a network. Currently, there exists thousands of these so-called network-enabled devices, and many more are expected in the future. In fact, many in the art envision a future in which most, if not all, computing devices in the home or office environment are network-enabled.
For many users, these programmable devices and the applications they provide have become indispensable. For instance, many large corporations provide programmable devices, such as laptop PCs, to employees. In many cases, these employees rely on the applications provided by the programmable devices to perform their job functions. When a programmable device is lost, stolen, or becomes inoperable, a user is not able to use the programmable device until it is recovered and/or repaired. Even if the programmable device is not essential for performing job functions, users may still experience varying levels of inconvenience or frustration when the programmable device is no longer available for use. Obviously, such a loss is undesirable and problematic. Thus, there is a need in the industry to address these and/or other deficiencies and inadequacies.